HF wrenches - not used daily

[Donald]

While most of my wrenches are Wright or US Craftsman I am looking for some wrenches that will see infrequent use.

Harbor Freight Pittsburg or Harbor Freight ICON.

Looking for offset and obstruction.

The ICON line is 3 or 4 times the cost of a Pittsburg. Worth it?

 

[RyanY]

Which set (specifically) are you considering? I have a set of the Pittsburgh offset spanners and I'm not really impressed with them.

Edit
I dont have any ICON so can't speak to their value.

 

[Fitter30]

Cheap wrenches will work 90% of the time till you have a really tight bolt, nut or tight place where a thinner wrench is needed. Good tools last a life time.

 

[Donald]

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-sae-offset-box-wrench-set-32041.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-sae-s-type-wrench-set-99700.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/offset-metric-box-wrench-set-5-pc-57170.html

Looks like they only have an ICON offset not obstruction.

Maybe with a set of wrenches for $17 one should expect little.

But if all my other wrenches don't fit the space then I really need an offset or obstruction wrench to work, Not bend or break.

 

[Donald]

Cheap wrenches will work 90% of the time till you have a really tight bolt, nut or tight place where a thinner wrench is needed. Good tools last a life time.

And I have good wrenches for the main sets.

 

[Trav]

I would buy these in metric before that small Icon set. Figure the price in $ as you don't pay the German tax. The regular HF stuff I would touch with a 10 foot pole, that crap will hurt you when it lets go.

https://www.amazon.de/STAHLWILLE-96...ords=Stahlwille+23+satz&qid=1615640016&sr=8-4

 

[RyanY]

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-sae-offset-box-wrench-set-32041.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-sae-s-type-wrench-set-99700.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/offset-metric-box-wrench-set-5-pc-57170.html

Looks like they only have an ICON offset not obstruction.

Maybe with a set of wrenches for $17 one should expect little.

But if all my other wrenches don't fit the space then I really need an offset or obstruction wrench to work, Not bend or break.

I (unfortunately) have that set of Pittsburgh offsets in metric. Fortunately I only use them once every two or three years. I can assure you that, in contrast to the HF ad claim, they are NOT equivalent to the Craftsman offsets!

As @Fitter30 said, the Pittsburgh wrenches will be fine most of the time, especially for bolts or nuts that move easily; I use the 13mm to remove intake manifold bolts on my Cadillac and it works well for that purpose, but I broke the 18mm wrench on a wheel hub bolt - it does not work well for that purpose!

It's a tough decision whether to spend much on a second set of wrenches, but I have been moving away from the basic Pittsburgh stuff as I replace tools. Pittsburgh Pro has some good products but also some turds. Nothing worse than trying to use a tool that doesn't work!

 

[RyanY]

After looking further, if I were in the market for a second set of offset wrenches I would probably start with the Duralast (AZ) or TEQ (Adv Auto). These can only be better than the HF set, although a little more money. If these aren't up to par I would then move toward the Stahlwille set that is currently on sale at amazon...a pretty solid deal at $71!

 

[AutoMechanic]

I have a set of HF SAE wrenches i bought when I was first getting tools together and I still have them and they work fine. I don’t use them everyday I just keep them at home. If I travel with tools that is usually the set that goes. Most of my new coworkers have Pittsburgh wrenches one of them was doing an alignment today and one side of it snapped off. The Hyper Tough from Walmart are made in the same factory in India according to many people I’ve talked too. I’ve got a Hyper Tough metric set I got on sale because the case was broken and they hold up well just like the Pittsburgh for occasional use. They look identical too.

 

[demarpaint]

I think for occasional use

I would buy these in metric before that small Icon set. Figure the price in $ as you don't pay the German tax. The regular HF stuff I would touch with a 10 foot pole, that crap will hurt you when it lets go.

https://www.amazon.de/STAHLWILLE-96...ords=Stahlwille+23+satz&qid=1615640016&sr=8-4

You steered me to a bigger set of those a while back and they're great tools. For occasional use some of the HF wrenches mentioned are OK. Years ago I was given a set of cheap flare nut wrenches. I remember using and snapping one, it broke like a dry twig at the jaw. Cheap pot metal construction IIRC. I ended up replacing them with US made Craftsman flare nut wrenches prior to message boards, where I learned they were hit or miss at best. Stahlwille flare nut wrenches are now next to them in my tool box, thanks again for the recommendation. There are some tools where OK for occasional use imo can still be useless, especially in the case of flare nut or box wrenches. jmo

 

[dlundblad]

Are you buying these to keep on your boat? If so, it wouldn’t get an “infrequent use” grade set. That could really ruin your day.

 

[Kruse]

If so, it wouldn’t get an “infrequent use” grade set. That could really ruin your day.

For sure. My last screwdriver set I purchased from HF was the 12-piece set for $6.99. I'd never have something like this in my tool box, it was just a set that was to be used by my wife in the house for doing odd jobs. The first thing I noticed when I opened up the bubble package was there was a big air bubble inside the lucite handle of one of the flats. I inspected it closely and instantly found out that I could grab the handle and actually turn the blade by hand while the handle was stationary. This was before she actually used it on anything.
The closest HF used to be an hour away from me, but they recently opened up a "wanna-be" store in the town where we shop for groceries. I took the individual screwdriver in and showed it to an employee at the cash register. The first answer I heard was that they couldn't do anything without my receipt. "Got your receipt?, we need it", I was told. I said I didn't, but since they track you electronically now, they could easily look that up in their system. Not being very busy at that time, that got the attention of a higher-up employee. Next, he said that the cheaper sets don't have a lifetime warranty and that he couldn't do anything about it. BY SHEER LUCK, this same bubble package just happened to be hanging right by the register and I then happened to look down and see it. The "lifetime warranty" was printed on the package. I reached down, grabbed it and showed it to both employees as they were balking at helping me. The "higher-up" mumbled something under his breath, got out a box cutter and opened up the new set to get this one screwdriver out and he gave it to me. I thanked them, walked out of the store without them saying a single word to me and I realized buying cheap tools is not worth it, not even if it's for an odd job that my wife would only use them once or twice a year.

 

[KenshinHimura]

For occasional use wrenches and sockets, i recommend Blackhawk tools if you want American Made. Urrea is another decent brand. Made in Mexico but use steel from the USA. If im in a real pinch, ill go with either the Taiwaniese Channellock or Tekton wrenches/sockets.

 

[UNC200]

Are you buying these to keep on your boat? If so, it wouldn’t get an “infrequent use” grade set. That could really ruin your day.

i agree. keep the cheap tools where they belong, in your airplane!